The Last of Us - America's Past Time
by med11
Summary: In the early days of September in the year 2013 the world was plunged into an apocalyptic setting due to a deadly infection that would eventually be dubbed as Cordyceps Brain Infection. With over half of mankind's population either dead or infected, the world devolved into a survival of the fittest scenario and many stories were left untold. This is one of those stories.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 - America's Past Time**

I always wanted to play baseball growing up. I was actually quite good and almost was able to make my dream become a reality at one point. That was another life, another world... a different world. Who the hell even knows what baseball is anymore? Not many, maybe just me. Its been several months since I saw another survivor, well, uninfected at least. So what am I doing writing this to you, someone I don't know and will probably never meet? Well, I guess you could say that I want my story to matter. There have been many stories told or, more than likely, not told since it happened, but I want to, at least, leave a record of my story so that it may possibly help the world if it somehow returns itself from the brink. You see, I am old enough to remember how things were before it happened, but young enough to be able to still move around, scavenge, and survive. Some days I wish I wasn't and those are the hardest days. Others I look out over the Bay Area as the steady wind sweeps the waves back as if inviting me to dive in and let the current carry me off to some other world. 2021... eight years since it all took place. Eight years, I am alone now and it seems the world has forgotten about me in my little corner of the world. But it wasn't always so, it most certainly wasn't. I guess it would be best if I start at the beginning.

I was so excited, I was 35 years old and my life was finally turning the page toward the outstanding. In fact, my birthday just occurred and I also finally landed a high end job after working hard to achieve it. The world was not exactly stable. There were numerous conflicts around the world and economically the states were a mess. In fact I believe we were headed for total economic collapse before it happened. Jesus Christ, here I am talking about economic collapse when you, the reader, probably will have no clue what the hell I am talking about. Needless to say, things weren't exactly perfect but there was hope and a lot of it. Hope for a chance to move forward, as our final President used to say back then "Hope for Change!", chances to make your dreams come true, a family, children, working towards a common goal. We were so arrogant weren't we? Arguing about what side of the political spectrum was best. Debating healthcare plans, fighting over plots of land in some countries, and killing people based on their faith in others. I seriously sit back now and extend my middle finger to all of that bologna. If you're reading this, take note, the color of someones skin, or the God they pray to, or the choice of who they bang or who they are attracted to... all that crap is absolutely meaningless. However, where I came from, it was what mattered. Don't make the mistakes we did. Don't fall into that trap and judge people on their character and not that other BS. Oh, I'm sorry, you likely have no clue what "BS" even means. Well, suffice to say, it was a word used to describe something that people from my world thought was a lie (basically). We took the little things for granted. Water, food? Are you kidding me? Don't even get me started on electricity. Anyhow, while the world wasn't flawless and I am making it out to be the second coming of Hell, it was still moving forward. Those things I mentioned were bad, yes, but there were many things that were better and sat on the great side.

I lived in a suburb of San Francisco. A small town that some called "Wine Country" and on the specific day things went to sh*t I was literally sitting at a Giants baseball game in the downtown area. The Giants were a professional baseball team. Baseball was a game that was played and I won't bog you down with details except, consider it this way, grab a tree branch, another person grab an apple. The person with the branch needs to hit the apple when it is thrown. I know it makes no sense with the way I put it. Apparently I will need to make a folder dedicated to sports and their rules in the hope that one day things can return to normal. Perhaps they will erect a statue of me and call me the "Founder of Modern Baseball"! Let's just hope they get past the apple and branch part but one has to start somewhere. Anyhow, I was at the game in a large stadium which held over 50,000 people. I was with my girlfriend and we were smiling, laughing and it was an all around good day. I recall the day before the game when I was figuring out how we were going to get there I made the choice not to take BART as I had heard about random attacks taking place in the subways. The newspapers deemed it "Night of the Living Drugged" and blamed the issue on drug abusers and drunks. What absolute morons we truly were to actually believe that one day, out of the blue, a bunch of junkies decided to bite people and eat them in the Subway. However, it wasn't totally out of the ordinary as we had some similar issues with something called "Bath Salts" in the past which cost a dude a face so I chalked it up as a crowd of crazy, bath salt devouring zombie bums. Yeah... strike one for me. How amazing it is to look back on a day and time like that. I can close my eyes and see it vividly but to explain it to someone who wasn't there? Difficult. Regardless, here we go.

It all started around the third inning of a tie game when I noticed a small ruckus in the left field bleachers. We actually had good seats and, frankly, the location was fortunate as we had access to a partially deserted area and access to the ocean over the right field wall as the stadium was open on that end. When I first saw the commotion I thought it was just some unruly fans fighting but that didn't last long as people were scattering even on to the field with odd noises erupting from the melee. They sounded more like gurgling than anything. Like someone was trying to talk but couldn't because something in their throat was preventing them from doing so. How can I even explain that noise... that sound? It's truly impossible. The center of the crowd in left field seemed to erupt in a chain reaction of people climbing over seats, over people, even children. Bodies were falling from the outfield fence on to the field and that is when I saw it. I, literally saw several people grabbing the heads and bodies of others and biting them. Screams of agony and anger rang out in a thunderous way. I saw one woman fall from the bleachers only to get up with her shoulder obviously dislocated and hanging down at her side... I saw her charge the center field of the Brewers... crap I forgot his name now... but she charged him with her arm hanging down at her side and lunged at him while completely knocking him to the ground as her teeth dug into the side of his head ripping off his ear as he yelled in pain. The players ran for the dugouts but were quickly being ran down left and right by people pouring on to the field from the seats. You wanted an explanation? How else can I say it. You had children no older than elementary aged attacking the elderly, babies being ripped from their mothers arms and attacked, men attacking women, women attacking men, and people using whatever they could get their hands on to fight off the attackers.

Later I would logic out what happened but at that moment it was like a literal wave of desolation shooting off in both directions from the middle of an enclosed baseball stadium. I grabbed the hand of my girlfriend and rushed her to the top of the right field wall which had a small drop off, though dangerous, to exit the stadium. Luckily I found a pipe running up the wall which presented a chance of a makeshift ladder. The screams were palpable and constant. Men and women, children all in a rhythmic symphony of screams, yells, and cries for help. The city, my city, it was like nothing I could even imagine in my worst nightmare.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - Into The Lions Den**

"Chris, what the hell is going on? What the hell did we just see? Is it terrorists?!" She asked.

"I have no idea. All I know is we aren't safe in the city limits."

"Why not? Why can't we just find a hotel and wait this out?" She persisted.

"This situation is not going to end at the stadium. Before long the National Guard will be called in and we need to be as far away from that as possible. If this thing is some type of chemical attack we need to cross the bridges before they close them off and quarantine the area."

That was the best decision I made before we knew anything and I remember that conversation like it was yesterday. I will never forget it. I... I see it every moment I close my eyes, I see her, I see her... Several years earlier I served in the Air Force as a Pararescue specialist so, thankfully, I had training and knew how to evade but this enemy was not like those I trained for. This enemy had absolutely no regard for its own care and rushed head first into everything. We had no weapons. I had to find one. I had to make one. I had seen war and had seen my fair share of combat back in Bosnia but that was a different time... a different world. I am not going to sit here and rehash war stories as they don't even come close to what the trek to the Golden Gate Bridge was like. About seven miles stood between us at the stadium and the bridge and I knew that seven miles was going to be absolute carnage... and it was. As many people rushed to the BART stations I made sure we took the longest route that had the best chance to avoid people. To do this, we had to avoid the center of the city while also dodging the people who decided to drive 100mph on the city streets.

We started our venture toward Nob Hill as I figured that would be the best option with its large hills and wide streets. It would be easier to avoid ambushes and also avoid the cars. Thankfully my cell phone still had coverage but I decided to "go dark" as we called it in the service with turning our phone ringer and vibrate mode off and sticking to silent mode. I texted my Father who told me the valley was "clear" but the military came on the emergency broadcast network to ask for all current and former military personnel to report to something they called a "Quarantine Prep Zone". He and I agreed that it was too suspicious and the first thing we needed to do was meet up back at my old home. Before I put my phone in my pocket he gave me one warning... something I had heard many times from him in the past and something I knew he was extremely serious about this time... he said "Christopher... if it comes to it... don't hesitate, you must never hesitate. Get yourself and her home to us... no matter the cost." My Father... even at 81 the guy was tough.

So our plan was set, the love of my life and myself would have to trek across the city, avoid flash mobs of flesh eating drug addicts, avoid being ran over by cars, avoid your normal run of the mill gangsters and do all this without any weapons. Gee wiz... and there I thought things wouldn't get much worse. However, they did. We continued toward the bridge and as the screams in the distance continued and passed through the financial district of the city. It was early evening by then and we noticed a lot of people just standing around... literally. On top of that there were bodies on the sidewalks, some in the road and, as if trying to torture me, I heard that **bleep** gurgling sound from many of the people just standing alone. We came across a police officer that was doing it to which my girlfriend yelled "Officer!?" His head slowly turned toward us and I will never forget his eyes. They looked glossed over, dead and as soon as he turned toward us he muttered under his breath "no, nooo... no" and quickly turned his head back to looking down at his feet and almost wimpering while his head began shaking and nodding as if arguing with himself about something. His club was on the ground behind him and I put my hand around my girlfriends hip and moved her behind me.

"Sir... may I use that?" I asked and as the words crossed my lips he became all together still. His wimpering, his head movements and the conversation he had with himself had stopped for the moment. It was as if he understood me but also was not fully in control and was doing his best to fight himself. I asked again but differently this time "Officer, may I take your club, I want to get my girlfriend and myself to safety and I need it?" Still... nothing and no movement. I turned to look back at my girlfriend who looked terrified and, all of a sudden, an explosion erupted from around the stadium area. several blocks behind us. Upon hearing the noise, the Officer jolted his head up, screamed and ran off in the direction of the noise. "What the hell just happened?" she asked me to which I responded "I don't know but let's get the hell out of here this instant." I reached down and grabbed the club and we moved onward toward the first leg of our escape... the bridge.


End file.
